Good ways to start novels.

[Super Fantasy]

There may be many ways to start novels.
I like to start them with some main characters reaching a city or destination.
This promotes curiosity, of the city or other places.

You might start the novel with the main characters traveling through a forest or ravine .
They might be talking to each other, creating intrigue.
Perhaps they are looking at a map or setting up camp.

 

[pmmg]

I've never given thought to what type of opening I prefer. My only rule (which is just personal) is to never start a story with the word 'the'.

I think its best to start the story where things change, and not very far before. I think all of my stories open this way, I am not sure that was intentional, but kind of worked out. I think the opening does need to raise questions that get the reader wondering what comes next.

If I was to start my characters in a forest, I am pretty sure that would be enough. If there were in a forest and seeing their village burning in the distance, than maybe.

 

[Finchbearer]

So far, I have a real mixture. Could a prologue be classed as the start of a novel? I think so personally. I have a few prologues that are poetic or ambiguous in nature, some are short and some are longer.

Otherwise I like to start with the principle main character, it’s just an ordinary day, and then that’s when I introduce the fabled inciting event, which sets the story in motion.

I prefer lyrical and descriptive styles of writing, so I do tend to attempt to set the scene in this way too. I think environment. Is important.

 

[skip.knox]

Let's see. I have one novel that starts with a scout spotting a horde of invading goblins. One that starts with a woman arriving on a train. One starts with a girl who can fly. One where a sprite is arriving on a wizard's island. And one that starts with a description that sort of pans up across a seaside town.

As the OP says, there are lots of ways to start a story. But there's this: in every case, I knew who the characters were. Ultimately, it isn't about the setting or even the action; it's about the characters, because it is they who must carry the story.

To reconsider the openings: the first is about a scout who is dead by the end of the chapter. With the second, the woman is late to a very important appointment and her career may hang in the balance. The girl who can fly isn't supposed to, and has to sneak back home. The sprite is confronted by a mystery and an old acquaintance. And the characters in that seaside town are made an offer they can't refuse.

All that said, short stories put different demands on openings than do novels.

 

[pmmg]

I wish I remembered it all....but if we are discussing our own openings...

One starts with two strangers arriving at the house of an old warrior, they try to recruit him to join a hunt.
Another starts with Two people finding a badly injured girl in the snow.
And another starts with two characters about to enter a place where they are sure to stir trouble, to recover a friend inside.
And another starts with Pirates discussing the fate of survivors from a battle.
And another begins with a dark character (probably a vampire) looking on unsuspecting prey and wondering why they should be afraid.
And yet another begins with a woman in a field who is supposed to use an empathy type power to calm a dragon, but instead lets it carry her away.
And yes another with a boy beginning to narrate a story about how a fairy changed everything.

Do they matter? I dont know. Out of context they probably dont have much meaning.

 

[pmmg]

So far, I have a real mixture. Could a prologue be classed as the start of a novel? I think so personally. I have a few prologues that are poetic or ambiguous in nature, some are short and some are longer.

Some prologs are simply the start of the novel, some are just extra information. Id say their can be either/or.

 

[Mad Swede]

I've said it twice before this week, but the opening (be it the prologue or the first chapter) needs to draw the reader in.

To begin with, short stories are different. The limit on the length of the story means that it almost has to be an action oriented opening, which is usually a point where things change for - and hence lead the reader to - the protagonist and their actions.

Novels give you room to play around with the opening. Whilst you can start at the point where things change (e.g. a chase, or the discovery of a dead body or whatever), you can also start with an opening where the readers eye is first drawn to the setting and then to the protagonists. It depends on how you've set the rest of the story up, and my only advice is that the opening should be appropriate to the story. Note that I've used both types of opening I mentioned in my novels.

 

[Finchbearer]

I wish I remembered it all....but if we are discussing our own openings...

One starts with two strangers arriving at the house of an old warrior, they try to recruit him to join a hunt.
Another starts with Two people finding a badly injured girl in the snow.
And another starts with two characters about to enter a place where they are sure to stir trouble, to recover a friend inside.
And another starts with Pirates discussing the fate of survivors from a battle.
And another begins with a dark character (probably a vampire) looking on unsuspecting prey and wondering why they should be afraid.
And yet another begins with a woman in a field who is supposed to use an empathy type power to calm a dragon, but instead lets it carry her away.
And yes another with a boy beginning to narrate a story about how a fairy changed everything.

Do they matter? I dont know. Out of context they probably dont have much meaning.

I like this format.

So one of mine starts with a description of a tapestry - prologue
Another describes a Mediterranean scene with a tree - first paragraph of chapter 1
Another begins with a girl in an orchard who then goes and talks to her uncle about the grand house upon a hill - prologue
Another starts with a woman who fails to defeat a beast then comes across a wood nymph - first half of chapter 1
And finally another begins with a young illegitimate daughter of an Earl overhearing that she is to be sent to a convent - chapter 1

 

[pmmg]

I was sold at wood nymph.

 

[Finchbearer]

I was sold at wood nymph.

I’m excited for that one, probably not for the same reasons as you…but this story has a main character who is badass right from the beginning.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

We like to start in media res, in the middle of the inciting action. We do this because we want to get the reader invested and asking questions as soon as possible. Wherever, whyever, however your story begins - and I mean story, not writing - that is where you start. How you start is important, but there are a lot of different techniques. You want to pick the one that best fits your tone and your voice. Figuring those out takes practice, so get to it. You're a writer. You have a long road ahead of you.

And since we're showing off a little (and you guys know I love to show off ), here is the first paragraph of our first book.

The little bell above the shop door preceded the desperate cry of, “Winter, we need you!” The urgency in her friend’s voice tore the wizard’s attention from her task. She dropped the open box of sterile surgical instruments on the long counter and rushed across the back-room clinic, passing the city map of Seahaven, Washington that took up one entire wall. On the map were red dots and a concise note for every violent incident this year. It was the end of October and the map was so covered in red that it looked like it was inflicted with a virulent rash. She pushed her way through the thickly-beaded curtain into the still-darkened storefront.

 

[Mad Swede]

Oh, are we allowed to show off?

In that case, to illustrate my point I'll give the opening paragraphs from three of my stories. I've had to translate from the Swedish which means the flow isn't quite optimal (yet). And for those of you who like a challenge, feel free to work out which of these opening paragraphs come from novels and which from short stories...

Darkness. Almost total silence. The sound of water trickling down the gulley outside the cell. A faint moaning somewhere in the darkness. The soft clink of a chain. A touch against the damp wall, feeling the moss, the drops of moisture on the stone. The itch of fleas and lice. And always that smell, of rotten straw, smoking torches, rancid food, unwashed bodies and human excrement. The smell of the dungeons, the smell of lost hopes.

#

Below him the forest spread out, seeming to reach almost all the way to the horizon. Across the leagues ahead and far into the distance were inlets from the sea, hills and mountains, their tops covered in snow. Sitting there on his mare he gazed out over the trees, in awe of the world ahead of him. It was as though the forest was a sea, the wind blowing waves across the trees with a steady sighing rush. The back of each wave was a paler green as the undersides of the leaves and needles was revealed by the wind.

#

The man across the table was looking at her. A distrustful look, that. Almost as though he didn’t believe she was playing an honest game. No matter. At least not as long as he and the others paid up. A look at her hand of cards again. No problem making the contract here. Diamonds as trumps, and she held the honours, only the two, six, seven, eight and nine missing from her hand. Singleton ace of hearts, the ace and ten of spades and the jack of clubs. Four cards face down in the discard pile.

 

[The Dark One]

I really like all of those MS. Very atmospheric.

Atmos is what I always go for myself - something meditative and (hopefully) immersive, but leading fairly quickly to a minor confrontation or other incident which sparks off questions and lays out the first steps of the plot.

What I really want is for the reader to be thinking after a few pages: "Aah, I can see where this is going. This is gonna be good."

 

[Gurkhal]

The only opening for a novel I've written so far has been to shatter normality for the MC. Possibly I'll have to start further back in the timeline in a future addition but that's how it is now.

 

[Jason]

The only opening for a novel I've written so far has been to shatter normality for the MC. Possibly I'll have to start further back in the timeline in a future addition but that's how it is now.

My approach was to shatter MC normality in a prologue and then jump back during the opening chapters. This gave room to world-build with a hook in place.

 

[pmmg]

I pretty much start were life starts to suck for someone, usually the MC.

 

[Strider53]

I think the two main schools of thought are:

1. In media res. This one makes a ton of sense, and can often help with the opening of a short story as it can be very action-oriented if you wish. ie. 'Jake sprinted through the back streets, breath huffing in front of him in the cold night air. He could hardly think as terror engulfed his mind, scenes of what would happen if he were caught playing behind his eyes.' (You're not quite sure why he's running, or what happened to create a situation where he's being chased, but you join in as he's attempting to escape.) Or: 'How dare you say that to me! Guards, seize him! OFF WITH HIS HEAD!' (You miss the conversation, but join the tale in time for the consequences.)

2. In late, out early. This can be confused as 'in media res', but is different depending on how you use it. You can start your story "late" as two countries are squared off, ready for war. You don't immediately provide an exposited backstory about how we arrived there, but instead slowly reveal that information to the reader as you move forward and the war begins. It's not necessarily in the middle of a scene, but later than you might initially think is a good idea when you're world building. (This also works for regular scenes, as you leave early and don't explicitly reveal the end of a scene or the final thoughts of a character. But, the reader can often extrapolate or understand what's going on through the implications of the scene. This helps create and sustain tension in the story.)

Overall, you want to draw the reader in with some sort of hook, tension, conflict, etc. It's all well and good to show off your prose skills, beautifully describing the scene around your MC, but if it goes on too long or fails to provide a spark then you've probably failed. You want to introduce your character(s) and an initial conflict (either the broad conflict that lasts the entire story, or a smaller, personal conflict that leads to details about, or the start of, the main conflict) as soon as possible.